Written in the Stars, Chapter 2
The third member of the trio arrived on Friday afternoon. Thomas Clark was another guy who seemed to be compatible. He was outgoing and had a good sense of humor.
Toryn was a bit surprised to find that Tommy was of African American descent. Troy hadn't mentioned it. To Toryn, that was a positive thing. It was another example of how much the two of them were alike in their beliefs.
The guys were all about the same height, an inch or so under six feet, with a similar trim build. Tommy's black, curly hair contrasted with Troy's straight blond locks and Toryn's spiked light ginger. Each was rather attractive in his own way. Troy was pleased as he pictured how the three of them would look in crisp white shirts and black slacks playing at the club. To be honest, Toryn was a lot better looking than Terry had been. He was going to be an aesthetic improvement to the group, as well as a musical one.
The three of them rehearsed some hymns for about half an hour, during which time, their voices as well as their notes blended very well. Troy called Pastor Glenn, who had just returned from vacation, to tell him they'd be ready for Saturday if he still wanted them.
Reverend Glenn Thompson was thrilled because he knew the music Trifecta provided was part of what drew young people to his church. He would like to think his brilliant messages were the catalyst, but he was a realist. Although he always gave a good, short sermon which applied to daily life's experiences, he knew that you needed a hook to fill the pews on a late Saturday afternoon, especially for the college crowd, some of whom might be looking for a church as they hit the campus ahead of fall term.
Sam at Berkley Square told Troy that he had a high school ensemble booked for this Saturday, but he would like to have Trifecta come the following one and continue through the year when they were available. Things were falling into place.
Toryn had thought he might tune out the sermon on Saturday night and simply go through the motions. However, he found the whole service to be meaningful. He was pleased that he could be part of something which people found worth their time. Last year, he'd often slept in on Sunday morning and not bothered with church. Perhaps this gig was a blessing in disguise. His parents would likely see it as such.
As is often the case, the first week of the new term didn't have as much homework as the following ones would. Thus, Toryn's next weekend was free except for Saturday from about 4:30 to 11:00 PM when he had gigs nearly back to back, with dinner between. He decided to drive home on Friday afternoon and trade his mother's van for his own sporty little car. He invited his new roommate to go with him. They could stay overnight and drive back before lunch, giving them time to rehearse a bit before performing. Troy was happy to go with him. He hadn't replaced his car yet, and he liked the idea of having a change of scenery.
After the nearly two-hour drive east on route 30, the young men arrived at Toryn's parents' home. Cliff and Jackie made their son's new friend welcome. Toryn's younger brother, Sean, appeared to be eager to meet him as well. He had given up his room with the twin beds so that Troy and Toryn could share it.
For supper, Jackie had made some of her son's favorite summer foods – potato salad, three-bean salad, and bread in the Dutch oven. Cliff grilled thick Iowa pork chops to go with them. This was a genuine treat for guys who had recently eaten cafeteria fare. Everyone complimented the parents.
They were in the process of cleaning up the kitchen when Troy's phone rang. It was his mother's cell number, so he excused himself and went into the family room to take it. He spoke with his parents for a few minutes and joined the rest, beaming.
"Mom bought a new SUV and they're giving me her Forester. It has quite a few miles on it, but it's perfect. They had planned to drive it to school tomorrow as a surprise, but since I'm not there, they wondered if we could swing by and pick it up on our way. Otherwise, they could bring it here. I know it's out of the way and they'll pay for the extra gas."
"Going through Williamsburg shouldn't be more than a few extra miles," Toryn said. "That'll be a piece of cake. I went that way to stop at Famous Footwear in the outlet mall on the way to school last week. No way am I gonna let them give me gas money. You're my bud!"
"So, it was a fluke that you were on the same route as I was a week ago Thursday, stopping at the mall which altered the time you would have neared the Grinell exit. What was our discussion about things being foreordained? It seems to me that it can't be mere coincidence."
"You boys are having a theological debate?" Jackie exclaimed. "I think that's unusual for university students these days. I wasn't brought up to believe in predestination, but I have to wonder if God does have a hand in such things. You guys meeting like that doesn't seem like happenstance. Troy, the fact that you've gotten my son to participate in church again seems like an answer to prayer!
"Plus, you've brought him out of his shell. I haven't seen him this outgoing and happy since he was a little kid."
"M-o-o-o-m! You're embarrassing me! Don't talk about me like I'm not here.
"Really, Mrs. McDill, you make it sound as if I did something to benefit Toryn. He's the one who rescued me. Maybe he didn't go to church all the time, but he was definitely the Good Samaritan in this case. Without him, I would have lost most of my earthly possessions and wouldn't have a place to lay my head to boot."
"I'm pleased to know that. He mentioned he'd found someone he would like to share his apartment with. He didn't give any details of how you'd met. I'd love to hear the whole story."
Troy told the entire tale, making the timing of the fire sound even more dramatic than it had been. All through it, Toryn was blushing as his family beamed.
When bedtime approached, the McDill brothers gave their guest the first crack at the bathroom while they sat on one of the twin beds chatting further.
"He's a stud!" Sean said while Troy was out of the room."
"Um, do you have the hots for him?"
"No, but I'll bet you do," Sean replied with a grin.
"What do you mean?"
"You light up when you're around him. I noticed, Mom noticed, and I'll bet Dad did too. He just won't say anything."
"Don't make assumptions you can't back up, especially around Troy. I don't want him to think I had an ulterior motive of asking him to live with me!"
"He feels the same way about you. I could see it in his eyes when he told us about you rescuing him."
"Um, that was only something like hero worship. He's thanked me about a hundred times for saving his stuff. That keyboard is as precious as a lover to him. I mean, it helps him earn money and he's really a fine musician. I enjoy jamming with Tommy and him. We're becoming like three brothers."
"Whatever. I don't know that other dude, but I know you, and I can read Troy like a paperback romance too. If you want my opinion, I'd be fine with having him as a brother-in-law."
The awkward conversation, which was making Toryn squirm, came to an end when the boys heard the bathroom door open.
"You'd better get your shower now so you'll smell all nice and fresh in case Troy wants to share your bed," Sean whispered with a smirk.
Toryn and Troy got on the road shortly after breakfast. They needed a little rehearsal time with Tommy later in the afternoon when they set up at church for the 5:00 PM service. They received a cordial sendoff from Toryn's family.
In Williamsburg, they got a similarly pleasant welcome from Troy's parents, John and Leaha Harnish as well as his siblings, Alec and Hannah. Everyone seemed happy to get acquainted with the young man who had come to Troy's rescue when his car broke down.
Toryn blushed at their effusive praise, saying that he was certain any one of them would have done the same thing in the situation. Leaha insisted that it took a special kind of person to give aid to a stranger. She praised him for doing the right thing.
The Harnish family invited the young men to stay for lunch, but Troy said they needed to have time to rehearse without feeling pressured. It would be best if they ate at home.
His choice of that word might not have been intentional; however, it reinforced in his parents' minds the realization that he wasn't their little boy anymore, and Toryn got a feeling that the two of them were, in a sense, creating a kind of domestic setting in their little apartment. He wasn't sure how much he should read into it, but it gave him a kind of glow inside. That was amplified when Troy asked his mother if he could take the orange throw pillows from his room to brighten their apartment.
Troy asked Toryn to follow behind him on the way back to Ames. Remembering the misfortune he'd suffered the last time he made that trip; it would be comforting to know that someone had his back.
Since he'd had an extra cup of coffee at his parent's house, Troy stopped at the Grinell rest area to release some of it. Toryn joined him. The privacy panel between the urinals was missing and the two took furtive glances at each other's goodies. It was the first time they'd had more than a fleeting glimpse. They'd been particularly modest around one another during their short time as housemates, despite the fact that they would have slept nude had they been alone. Their eyes met, briefly, and both realized that they'd been caught. Although they both blushed, there was also a look which perhaps showed some common understanding. To cover their embarrassment, they made small talk about what they were having for lunch once they got home. Again, Toryn was happy to hear Troy use the term.
Rehearsal with Tommy went well. The trio got into their groove and sounded like they'd been playing together for years. They began with the numbers they would perform at the jazz club later, and finished with the hymns which they would play in a couple of hours for the service. After that, they enjoyed a snack together before heading for church.
The fall semester fell into a familiar pattern as the weeks progressed. Sometimes, there was more school work to do, and during those periods, the two guys studied together even when they didn't have the same classes to prepare for. It appeared that being in each other's company helped them focus.
Just before midterm time, Troy received a message from the owner of the building where he'd intended to live, saying that repairs were completed and he was welcome to move in if he desired. When he discussed it with his housemate, Toryn asked him to remain in their present situation, unless he was tired of it. Troy was more than happy to stay.
The three band members passed their midterm exams with flying colors and were making plans to go home for a long weekend. Tommy would drive to Des Moines and the other two would head east. Friday had been scheduled as a break day, and all of their tests were over by Thursday afternoon. They had arranged with the club and church to have the time off. Troy insisted that he should do the driving. It wasn't much out of his way to drop Toryn off and he felt he needed to pay him back.
Thursday night, as they were packing a few belongings, Toryn complained of a sharp abdominal pain. He hadn't felt good all day and hadn't eaten much for lunch. Troy was worried about him.
"Toryn, I think I should take you to the emergency room and have them look at you."
"Nah, it's probably just something I had at lunch that was tainted. I'm a little nauseated."
"You didn't eat much, and you didn't have anything different from what I ate. I'm fine. Something else is going on. Where does it hurt?"
"Um, I had some pain behind my belly button but it's moved down more to the right side of my abdomen."
"Let me feel where."
"Ouch," Toryn exclaimed as Troy applied a little pressure in that area.
"Okay, I'm no doctor but I've had appendicitis and that's exactly the kind of pain I had. Put your jacket on. We're not wasting any more time."
"Yes, Mother!" Toryn joked.
It wasn't funny when his laughter made the pain bad enough that he doubled over.
"Alright, I'll go willingly," he sighed. "I'll need to take along a plastic bag in case I heave before we get there. I don't want to mess up your car."
Toryn managed to find his insurance card and fill out the required form at the hospital before his stomach turned. His vomiting, plus Troy's insistence that he needed immediate care, moved him quickly to the head of the waiting line.
Troy accompanied him into the examination room to hear what steps would be taken and to make sure the doctor took Toryn's condition seriously. To his relief, the physician agreed with his diagnosis and ordered a couple of tests. As a result of those, Toryn was scheduled for immediate surgery.
Troy stayed with his housemate until he was no longer allowed to. Then, he sat in the waiting room and texted Toryn's mother at the number Toryn had given him. Jackie called him immediately, thanking him for his help and asking to be kept in the loop. She would come the next day as soon as she could arrange for a sub to teach her classes. Since Cliff was speaking at a conference in Chicago, he couldn't come on short notice.
Next, Troy texted his own family to tell them he wouldn't be coming home for the weekend. Finally, Troy contacted Tommy, Pastor Glenn, and Sam at the jazz club. Although the trio wasn't playing on Saturday, he wanted them to be apprised of the situation. He didn't know how long Toryn would be out of commission, and he knew all of them would be pulling for his recovery.
Doctor Parkison, the surgeon who performed the operation, came to confer with Troy a bit over an hour later. His smile reassured Troy that all had gone well.
"Your partner is very lucky. The surgery all went well, and I'm sure he'll be able to return to normal activities soon. I understand you're the one who urged him to come in. Young men sometimes tough it out more than they should. I guess most of us males tend to be that way. If you had waited another five or six hours, it could have been disastrous. There was a bad abscess, and had it ruptured, the infection might have messed him up for life. Have you thought about going into medicine?"
"That's definitely not my thing. I only knew about this because I'd been through it.
"Um, we're not, um partners other than we play in a small combo as well as rooming together."
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Something he said led me to believe you were close. Also, you were so tender with him, like my husband is, in a situation like that. I guess I made the assumption based on my own experience. I didn't mean to offend you. I'm embarrassed."
"Don't be. Toryn and I have become best buds in a short time. He does mean a lot to me. I'm so relieved that he's out of danger and on the road to recovery. I will be babying him for a while. How soon may I begin?"
"I would imagine he'll be coming out of the anesthesia shortly. I have another patient to check on in postop, so, I'll be happy to show you where to go. He may be kind of out of it until morning. He may do and say things that he wouldn't ordinarily. I once had a female patient who was quite religious, but when she was drugged up, she cussed like a sailor."
"May I stay with him overnight?"
"Certainly. He told me that you're as close to family as anyone he has in town."
"How are you feeling, Toryn?" Troy asked, taking his hand.
Toryn held on tight, seemingly not wanting to let go.
"Okay. I'm not hurting. I think I'm pretty doped up because I don't feel much of anything."
"Do you remember what happened?"
"Yeah, the details are all etched in my brain. I even remember being a smart-ass and accusing you of treating me like a little kid."
"I guess I came on like a heavy-handed parent. Sorry about that!"
"No, you did exactly what you should have. I overheard the nurses saying how fortunate I am that my appendix didn't burst. I owe you! I'd hug you if I could!"
Troy leaned down and gently embraced his housemate. They remained that way for several minutes, Toryn holding Troy very close. As Doctor Parkison went by the open door, he stopped and smiled on the scene. It occurred to him that his earlier assumption about their relationship might have been on the mark.
"I'm beginning to see what you meant by divine intervention," Toryn said when they separated.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, you said it was almost foreordained that I would be in the right place at the right time to rescue you when your car caught fire. Now, if I hadn't been, I wouldn't have asked you to live with me, and I might have ended up with brain damage from infection since I'd have been alone with no one to bring me here. It seems like a lot of things have worked together for good.
"You're good for me and I hope I'm good for you. I can't believe how my life has changed this fall."
Troy felt a warm glow in hearing Toryn's words. He seemed quite affectionate. Perhaps it was just the residual effects anesthesia and the pain meds, but it felt special.
Author's notes:
The following readers contacted me this past week: Ken McC, Jim W, Geoff (2), Ott H, Charles G, John L, Marty H, Allen S, Tim, Tony C, Bob D, Nic X, Geoff (1), Rod R, Mendy D, Frank K, Daniel N, Justin T, Peter S, and Paul R. I appreciate your comments!
Thanks for reading this story. If you enjoyed it, please feel free to contact me a dlee169@hotmail.com and let me know. Your emails are the only reward I receive for writing. Please put the story title in the subject line in case your email goes into the spam folder.
Thanks to David S for editing. He finds typos and missing words! He also makes valuable suggestions.
Thanks to Nifty for providing this free service. It costs the site to do it, so please consider donating to defray their expenses.
https://donate.nifty.org/
Thanks, David
P.S. I have a chronological list of all my posted stories which I can email to you if you have an interest.